The Adventure
A true story that takes place in London
Attention readers:
Everything you are about to read was written during my trip in London (the last half was on the plane back). All of it comes from my actual diary so expect very random thoughts, embarrassing experiences, raw emotions, and opinions. I’m sharing this because it is a story worth being told. I hope it encourages and inspires each of you to follow after the move of God.
And maybe give you a few laughs!
Journal Entry from my personal diary: 7/2/24
Where do I begin? Oh, right, I’m in London, England.
How did I get here, you ask? Well by plane, obviously. You can’t exactly drive over 4,000 miles to a country in the middle of the ocean.
But seriously. How did I get here? Honestly, It was God. One minute I was plowing through my summer semester, the next minute I was at the passport office with my mom and sister.
“There’s a move of God happening,” my mom told us. “And I don’t know why or how … but God is calling us to follow His movement into London.”
So, here’s the details…
It’s difficult to explain, really. But several pieces to the puzzle started clicking together for the three of us: Mom, Jessica (my sis), and myself. Each puzzle piece directed us to London—it was crazy. I think we went to the passport office late or mid-May.
Truthfully, I didn’t think this would have happened. There seemed to be too many variables and not enough funds involved to actually get us to London. I went about the next few weeks wondering what to expect. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I didn’t want to miss anything God was trying to do.
Then God made a way when there was no way.
So, the short version of the miracle starts when Mom came to me and Jessica telling us about an international church we frequently have been involved in. Their next destination for spreading the Gospel was remarkable—London. Immediately, that’s when we got our passports. Then, I watched as Mom and Jessica booked a hotel we couldn’t pay for. Four weeks later, our passports came in. Literally, four days before the required departure date, I watched Mom and Jessica purchase the tickets to London!
How? Ha—it was a literal miracle.
Laughing, crying, and screaming, we praised God because we were going to London!
**skipping over the shopping spree experience and hectic rest of trip planning and the airport experience because it truly was too much detail that I wrote**
After seven long sleepless hours, the ocean of clouds greeted us at our descent. With the morning sun shining, I looked out of the airplane window and watched the different patches of land pass by. Our landing was incredibly smooth, nothing worse than a rollercoaster stop.
Then, began the fun parts.
Leaving the London airport was actually not fun. Though, customs was easy (sadly, no stamp!) Apparently, U.S. citizens are treated like British citizens so we just scan our passports and walk through a door. Except, finding our one checked bag took nearly 45 minutes because the London airports (at least this one) were pretty disorganized.
Then, we finally made our way following the signs for the connecting train station. Crossing over from the airport to the train station felt like a rush! There were floods of people that sort of pushed us to keep moving, but I immediately noticed the culture change.
People from all over the world were flooding into the train station. All kinds of nationalities: Italy, France, Israel, Asia, China, India, Japan, you name it and I saw it (literally!) Look, I’m used to diversity just by living in Florida. But this was an entirely different level. Like, Florida diversity x100.
I marveled at this, quickly realizing just how BIG our world really is! It was (is) amazing! And it was only about to get better…
After miraculously figuring out how to get to our first train, we stepped outside to see the bronze tracks and pebbles below the platform. But—ooh! It was COLD! 17 degrees Celsius = 60 degrees Fahrenheit. And for Floridians, that’s like winter for us. Winter! In July! Crazy. But, ooh, the air … it was so … fresh.
We waited in the bitter cold, nervously for the train. Neither of us rode one before so we had no idea what to expect. Also, I think we were a bit shocked that we were actually in London. But we didn’t get much time to think about it because the train rumbled under our feet and came to a screeching halt.
We piled in with dozens of other people, only to have absolutely no seats. Mom led the way further down into different carts, with Jessica and myself following. I was struggling with my really heavy carry-on and the narrow space. Franticly, I looked for any available seat, knowing I wouldn’t last long like that. I started falling behind from Mom and Jessica, losing my breath.
(Thinking about it now, it could have been jet lag crashing on me at the same time).
I needed to sit down. But, we kept walking and walking, looking for seats. The further we walked, the more sections were taken. Each section was grouped in fours, with two seats across from each other in pairs. But there was nothing available. I tried keeping up with Mom and Jess—but goodness, my bag!
Then suddenly, thump! The train jerked forward, pulling my bag down—and me with it. For a fleeting second, I was falling forward, only for my bag to land on a nearby empty seat. Thankfully, it saved my balance. But by then I was done. Totally done. Raising my voice I shouted, irritably, to my mother, “I’m sitting. Right. HERE.”
I planted myself on the seat my bag took over. But—oh God—there was a guy right there! On the fourth seat, staring at me. Oh great, I thought. My cheeks began burning a bright red. Mom and Jessica came to me, forcing me to scoot over to the next seat.
Which meant, I moved to sit right in front of the guy.
Don’t look at him, I told myself. It’ll be less embarrassing.
I didn’t listen to myself. I glanced at him. Yeah, he had a very, very, very wide grin on his face—looking directly at me. I think I died a little bit inside. Especially since he was the complete “British guy” picture I used to fantasize about. Thick, blonde hair that was brushed to the side. Deep blue eyes that reminded me of sapphires. Also a perfectly stiff posture that told me he had more manners than any American boy I’ve met.
I turned to Mom, who was still standing by the seats. The last seat available had the guy's stuff on it, so she couldn’t sit. But that didn’t last long.
With his very thick, kind British accent he asked her, “Would you like to sit here, too?”
Oh, God, I felt my soul leave my body. The emphasis on “too” felt very direct. I watched him move his stuff for my mom, and she happily sat down and gave her thanks. The guy (who, by the way, was closer to my age) seemed to scan the three of us.
Still grinning, he asked Mom, “So, are you Americans?”
I immediately realized the stupidity of my embarrassing entrance and demanding actions. I mean, who falls on a train and demands a seat in someone else’s section without so much as a polite request?
Me … apparently.
Later, Jessica said it was a “true America girl greeting.” Which, of course, felt a thousand times more embarrassing.
Anyway, the whole train ride (which was about thirty minutes) Mom and Jessica talked to this guy. I just kept quiet. I was busy looking out the window, ignoring the fact that this blonde-haired, blue-eyed gent from Britain was, in fact, cute.
The whole journey was very interesting. Mom, surprisingly, talked with him about politics? Don’t ask me how that happened, it just did. But believe it or not, he was super respectful about the subjects discussed and our different opinions. Totally not like the typical American guys (at least, ones I’ve met). Also, he was an Oxford student so I found that impressive.
But I was focusing on the view out my window, remember? How the gentle drops of rain started hitting the glass .. as I watched the different cities pass by. It was a little sad to see so many once glorious towns be abandoned and basically left to rot. Then I began to see the transition from the old towns and into London. The mixture of skyscrapers and classic, European buildings all connect together. (Don’t get me started on what it felt like when a train passed our side or when we went through a tunnel).
We finally made it to our stop, where we had to take a connecting train … which actually ended up being a subway. We were so confused when trying to find our platforms. The tickets literally said nothing about where to go. So we walked around a few platforms before I spotted a digital screen that said one of our stops. It pulled right up when I saw it.
“This is it!” I shouted to my mom while jumping on the subway.
“Okay!” Mom and Jess jumped on with me. But, Mom stared at me and said in her serious tone, “I trust you, Merissa.”
Ouch.
I quickly prayed that I didn’t just get my family lost in London. It was a two-second decision! Also, my first time on a subway so what did I know about picking the right platforms? Well … Thankfully, it was the right one.
The subway was worse than the train. It was all underground. So, what did it feel like passing another subway while being underground? It felt and sounded like two sound clouds slapping together and vibrating the entire tube you were sitting in.
Yeah. That’s what it felt like.
I thought we crashed into something every five seconds. But, we lived. (Thank you, Lord!)
**Skipping the first wild taxi driving experience because we had a lot of those**
I have to say, the taxi drive was quite terrifying. But we finally made it to the hotel, so I didn’t let myself think about it too long. Jessica and I half collapsed in the lobby, while Mom checked in. It was a beautiful hotel. And our room? Amazing.
Once we made it to our room, I crashed. Literally. Face flat on the bed, I was out in like seconds. (Can you blame me? I didn’t sleep during the whole 7-hour flight).
I woke up when we had to get ready for the church conference. Now, let me remind you that we didn’t fully know why God brought us to London. Other than for the conference. (By the way, it was a huge conference. Thousands of people in attendance).
But while we were there, everything seemed to click into place. The minister asked for people to go and evangelize in London to spread the Gospel and get souls saved. We knew we were there to be a part of that mission. And, my goodness, what an experience! I’ve been evangelizing before but as a helper, not a speaker.
So, the next morning, we went out with a team from the conference. I was nervous but so excited because I just knew that God was doing something great. And He did. Our team’s selected destination was Liverpool Station. Which meant, back to the subways.
While we waited for our subway to arrive, I was in total focus mode. Scanning the area, listening to the Holy Spirit. I watched other church members fan out, already speaking with people. I walked around with my sister and noticed a girl sitting on the ground, basically hiding behind a recycle bin. She had to be no more than 16. A pretty girl, with black hair, darker skin, and a super fantastic makeup job. I greeted her and complimented how she looked—which she really appreciated.
Then I got deep.
“Has anyone ever told you that God loves you and has a great plan for your life?”
The conversation opened from there. No, nobody told her that before. No, she wasn’t sure if she would get to heaven. I could tell, her heart was open to the reality that her life after death was not secured. I could see pain, loneliness … things God was revealing to me. I spoke to her openly, I shared with her about hell and its eternal suffering.
“But,” I said. “Jesus Saves.”
I showed her my customized shoes that say Jesus Saves. Then expressed to her how Jesus saves our souls, hearts, minds, and everything from this life and into eternity. Her eyes filled with tears and so did mine. I shared with her that God’s love and who He is is a gift that we can receive.
A gift that she chose to accept. (With such eagerness and passion!)
I’m speaking in detail here when really it all happened in like 2 minutes. We both had different subways to catch. And I literally almost missed my train. Imagine Mom yelling for me repeatedly and me just standing with this girl making sure she got saved. I made it up in my mind that I didn’t care if I missed the subway (oops!)
(Reminding everyone that I was with my older sister so I wasn’t “alone”).
Jumping into my subway, seconds before the doors shut, I shouted to our evangelism team, “I got one! I got one!”
Everyone cheered.
From there, we continued on. Arriving at Liverpool, we made our way through the crazy maze of long and high escalators and into the even bigger station. I’ll be honest … I thought it was a mall for the first 30 minutes because of how BIG it was. Also, the shops made it confusing. It wasn’t until later that I realized that there were literal trains inside the station and I was like oh, trains. Right. It's not a mall.
Jessica and I stuck together, taking turns with people we felt led to minister to. A lot of people didn’t want to accept the gift—but they really wanted to know more. I prayed for about four girls, each of them I shared the gospel. Not one rejected me or what I had to say, but each explained their desire to learn more.
Every word shared with those girls were seeds planted into their lives. Not one of them heard of the Gospel or even knew the name “Jesus Christ” but I was there to share with them the truth. My sister led another young woman to Christ (woohoo!) while Mom led 3 into rededications. All within the short hour we had.
It was life-changing! The passion has grown within me, the passion deeply burning. And all I want to do is share Jesus! It broke my heart that everyone I spoke to never knew that God loves them. It pains me to hear that people think works will get them to Heaven. No. Jesus! People need Jesus. There’s too much suffering. There is a hell that we can help save people from. And if anything … coming to London has shown me that. Nobody knows about Jesus here. Americans are privileged, we have a church around every corner. We have Bibles on the shelves. But over there … these things are a rarity. For 3 days we went to the conference. It was amazing. God’s impartation and evangelism were so important and precious. He spoke to me in many ways.
Then, came Saturday!
We began our tour and I cannot express how many times everything could have gone wrong for the rest of the 3 days in London. From confused taxi drivers to trying to figure out bus stops and locations. The weather was awful (cold, bitter rain!) something we weren’t prepared for. But on day 1 we drove around on a bus and explored all kinds of sights. We came to St. Paul’s Cathedral—a truly Heavenly place. I was immediately awestruck by it all.
The gold, murals, craftmanship, crosses, … all of it. Truly, I could feel the history of previous priests and monks of old, climbing those same 500 stairs as I, with their candles in hand. So much history. So much living history within those walls—it was amazing.
My favorite parts were the statues and going to the roof, above the Whispering gallery. Goodness, it felt like being back in time. And the view from the roof? Completely breathtaking. All of London below us and the wind whipping my hair in my face, it was quite the experience!
Day 2 of touring consisted of taking the Big Red Bus through Kensington. Where the “Posh” people live. (“Posh” was a vocabulary term we learned from the British guy on the train. Apparently, it means the filthy stinkin’ rich people). The drive-through was very fun. You definitely can see what “Posh” means when you drive through that city. Everything is designer and top-notch, and the “flats” (Aka: apartments) are insanely beautiful.
We also saw Big Ben, Parliament Square, and the Westminster Abby. Oh … Big Ben! It really is a sight. I can’t explain the awe I felt the second I saw it standing there, tall and strong in the distance.
Then, I heard its chimes. It sounded like heaven's angels playing a song. And I truly felt like Cinderella, holding her breath at each stroke of the clock.
Is this all a dream? I kept wondering.
But—no it wasn’t. It was real and forever mine to keep.
Walking around the city was a trip. Mom had to pay to use the bathroom (50 pence in Euros), which was funny. Also, we walked through the tunnels of the subway which was fine but creepy—all for looking for bathrooms, haha. Apparently, Europe is not like America. Public bathrooms are an American luxury!
But wow! Monday was wonderful, and it was probably my favorite day. We took an Uber to Kensington Palace. The birthplace of Queen Victoria and the favorite home of the late Princess Diane. Apparently, it’s still a residence of Prince William and Princess Kate.
It’s like a large mansion with a grand 3rd floor. We learned quite a lot of history about Queen Victoria (if you look her up, it’s a bit of a funny story). But truly, I felt like a queen. Walking inside, on the palace grounds (absolutely beautiful), and the gardens…. Kensington Park was huge with such a sweet and strange smell combined. The trees there are different, not like the ones I’ve seen before.
While strolling through the park, I imagined history unfolding before me. How many horses galloped across the lengthy pastures? How many couples took a romantic stroll under the spotlight of the moon?
Oh, but then there were swans.
It’s funny, actually. I didn’t even notice the HUGE white birds, minding their own business, in the pond. It wasn’t until I was like ten feet away from one that I screamed, “SWANS!”
It was my first time seeing one and my goodness … those things are huge. Like, bigger than my dog. But, they are so beautiful! I, of course, began humming Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” and doing a couple of ballet moves like the former ballerina I am.
Took a pose with a swan, too!
Anyway, the palace. Yes. Beautiful. So much GOLD on the third floor which was the Kings Quarters. The ballroom was adorable so I of course had to fantasize a little bit of what that was like back in the day! But then … we had tea. At the end of the tour, there was a shop and cafe where we had tea and “scones.”
The American version of scones vs. the British version is pretty interesting.
We all had tomato soup (delish!) with Earl Tea (no cream needed it was perfect) and a scone with strawberry jam and … clotted cream? I had no idea what “clotted cream” was but I think it’s like butter but thicker. I was worried it would taste weird but it literally was heaven on earth.
I still remember what it tastes like and crave it every day.
Now, Tuesday, the 9th (now today … I started this journal entry on the 2nd). We left the Hotel for the airport. The driver was CRAZY and tried dropping us off at the Cargo section?? But with Mom’s very stern attitude, she made him drop us off at the terminal.
Which ended up being the wrong terminal. So we had to take a shuttle to the correct one. Talk about s t r e s s f u l. Anyway, check-in and airport security were so fast and simple. I’m on the plane now with 2 hours left until landing.
I think it’s important to note here that even during our touring days, Mom was very diligent in continuing to spread the Gospel. She ministered to every single Uber/Cab driver that we had (we totally ditched the subways).
And while Mama was amazing at spreading love and truth … I was completely petrified. Brits are crazy on the road! Their driving makes no sense. Imagine cars driving in all directions … on the same road as you. That’s literally what London driving looks like. Also, it takes an hour to drive 9 miles? Oh, the stress of it, I barely could handle it, haha. Mom did well, though. And I honestly took comfort in hearing her talk about Jesus so much—the only reason why I didn’t have anxiety attacks when I saw an incoming car swerve in a different direction or when a moped cut in front of us without warning.
I guess I can say I truly did have the full “London” Experience! In all of its heightened peaks, I am grateful to have been a part of this adventure. And I want to personally thank Father God for taking me on this journey!
I love you, Lord! I pray that every good seed be planted in good ground, be fruitful, and multiply, in Jesus' Name! I can’t wait to find out where you’re taking me next …
Until then!
~Merissa Nicole
Foundation Scriptures:
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
Isaiah 4:6 NKJV
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV
Personal Thoughts:
I tried keeping this short but apparently I was super detailed with my combined journal entries so I had to skip over some parts, haha. Anyway, I don’t think I have many thoughts on my own thoughts from my journal, lol! Other than visiting London was amazing and I really want to keep traveling for Jesus!
Also, does anyone have a favorite part?? Do share, I think it’s fun sharing my experiences with y’all!
Thank you all for reading!
The way you described the traffic reminded me of my trips to Mexico. Seems like all the traffic rules are more like suggestions! A big nerve racking to say the least!
Reading this reminded me of how I first felt when I moved to London when I was 19. It's a while ago now! I ended up staying in London for 17 years! I'm going next week again for a week. It's an amazing city but quite hectic and tiring after a while ✨